May 28, 2020
In a shameless attempt of making U.S. interventionism transparent in Latin America, the government of Iván Duque is facilitating the work of his Pentagon godfathers and is opening the doors even wider for them to attack Venezuela. This time, it is the formation of a security brigade and a force and control agency that will operate alongside the Colombian military, according to the explanation of the U.S. embassy.
To this end, starting in June a specialized brigade of the U.S. Army will arrive in Colombia ready to support “peace and the fight against drug trafficking” in areas hit by violence, crime and poverty. It is known that when the U.S. speaks of “peace” it means just the opposite, and if it says “fight against drug trafficking” it is talking about open combat against the guerrillas and all kinds of organizations in opposition to the fascist government of Duque and his puppeteer Uribe.
The U.S. Embassy in Colombia detailed in a statement that a Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB) “is coming to help Colombia” in its fight against drug trafficking.
“This is the first time that this brigade has worked with a Latin American country, a fact that “reaffirms once again the commitment of the United States to Colombia, its best ally and friend in the region.”
“The SFAB mission in Colombia is an opportunity to show our mutual commitment against drug trafficking and support for regional peace, respect for sovereignty and the enduring promise to uphold shared ideals and values,” said U.S. Commander of Southern Command Admiral Craig Faller, in the briefing that attempted to justify the mission.
ADVICE AND ASSISTANCE
The SFAB is a specialized unit of the U.S. Army formed to advise and assist in operations in allied nations.
The SFAB unit of the U.S. Army’s mission will focus its efforts primarily on the Future Zones defined by the Colombian government. The Future Zones strategy is a plan of President Ivan Duque’s government that will allow the state to intervene in a comprehensive manner, with security, justice and social investment, in the regions most affected by violence, crime and poverty.
The initiative will be developed in five regions of the country: the Pacific region of Narino; the Catatumbo region on the border with Venezuela; the Lower Cauca and southern Córdoba, Arauca and Chiribiquete, and nearby National Natural Parks in the Amazon, which are the areas with the largest coca cultivation in the country.
FIGHT AGAINST DRUG TRAFFICKING, A PRIORITY
Defense Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo and the Commander of the Military Forces, General Luis Fernando Navarro, have said that for the Colombian government the fight against drug trafficking is a priority shared with the United States, since it is one of the main factors in the violence that affects communities and social leaders.
According to the report “Dynamics of the armed confrontation and its humanitarian and environmental impact”, presented on Tuesday by the Ideas for Peace Foundation (FIP), the killings of social leaders in Colombia grew by 53 % in the first quarter of 2020, in which forced displacement also increased by 5 %.
The study details that 16 leaders were killed on January, 11 on February, 13 in March and 9 in April for a total of 49, while in the first four months of 2019 there were 32.
Source: Resumen Latinoamericano, translation North America bureau